In one of the 2009 editions of Michel Drucker program on French Antenne2 TV-network, Jean- Pierre Coffe, the famous French gourmet (and also chef, actor and writer), prepared a dish to make a tribute to Charles Aznavour after an idea of Drucker himself.
After an enthusiastic talk about winemaking traditions of the South Caucasus territories and in particular of Armenia, the original country of Aznavour, and about the simplicity and the friendliness of its people and its food, he offered to the company a dish of cabbage dolmades.
(Coffe says among other things that even the wooden barrel was conceived in Armenia , an assertion which may not coincide with reality)
Dolmas is the term used in Turkey for stuffed vegetables and their particular preparation. In Greece, the same word indicates only stuffed grape leaves and all other kind of stuffed vegetables are generically called Yemista.
The recipe whose origins span across all Near South-East could be created in Armenia and South Caucasus, although in Greece it is said that the idea of wrapping food in vine leaves dates back to the time of Demosthenes, during the first defeat of Chaeronea, 338 BC, at the time of the siege of Thebes by Philip of Macedon, father of Alexander the Great.
Such an argument that dates back to 400 BC, does centainly silence everybody!
However, considering that territories around Mount Ararat, Armenian territories now partly independent republic and partly annexed to Turkey, in ancient times were called Lands of Wine and also that History, Bible and legends reference this country for excellent wine production, I guess I can say that these rolls could be born over there.
The stuffing in the best-known version includes aways rice and minced meat or rice and herbs in a common home edition. In Armenia, however, it can also consists of burghul, the dried & chopped sprouted grain prevalent in Middle Eastern cuisine and certainly more ancient than rice.
This is the simplest recipe. If you want to make it much richer, follow what Coffe says in the video for his cabbage leaves version.
One note: Coffe does not bend very well cabbage leaves so rolls could be damaged during cooking.
Read below how to do.
Ingredients for 6 servings: about 40 grape leaves fresh or frozen, 250g of rice , 2 or 3 scallions or onions , 2 tablespoons pine nuts , olive oil , chopped parsley end herbs(chives , fennel or dill, mint) and coriander ground and heated in a dry pan to release its aroma, the juice of 2 lemons , salt and black pepper
Pine nuts are almost never lacking and even chopped herbs such as mint, parsley and fresh coriander. This simple stuffing can be enriched with other tasting ingredients like ground beef or lamb, raisins of Corinth that in many Mediterranean recipes replaces minced meat.
